So religion is in the knowable
things not in the unknowable; there such men as you, lad, must find it.
And the rock, boy, was not put in the garden by men. It belongs to the
earth itself."
While the Doctor was speaking his eyes had been fixed on the crippled
boy in the garden. He turned now, for the first time, to face the young
man by his side. Dan's eyes had that wide, questioning look. The old
physician moved to the other window.
"Now come, see what men have done." He pointed to the cast-iron monument.
"These people will tell you that was erected to commemorate the life of
my friend. His was a warm, tender, loving spirit--a great, ever-growing
soul. What can that hard, cold, immovable mass tell of him? How can that
thing--perpetuating an issue that belongs to a past age, that has nothing
to do with the life of today--how can that thing speak of the great heart
that loved and gave itself always to men?
"Through my glasses that is the church! How can an institution, or a
system of theological beliefs--with cast-iron prejudices, cast-iron
fidelity to issues long past and forgotten, cast-iron unconcern of vital
issues of the life of today and cast-iron want of sympathy with the
living who toil and fight and die on every side--how can such speak the
great loving, sympathetic, helpful spirit of Him whose name only it
bears, as that bears only the name of my friend?
"But would the people of this town, out of love for my dead friend, tear
down that monument if Denny should leave his garden to argue with them
about it? Why, they would tell him that it is because of their love for
the statesman that they keep it there and they believe it--and it is
true.
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